Mini Gaming PC under 1000€

[Tyalis]

Hi,

I'm considering building a mini-itx gaming rig in a sg05. My objective is to build a good midrange gaming pc that could last me at least 3-4 years (with only the occasional GC upgrade to a more recent midrange GC) for playing current gen pc game on high at 30-40 FPS.

Let's start by the usual questions :

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Mainly it will be Movie/TV watching, light to heavy gaming (5-6h a week on 1080p ~35 FPS) and web surfing

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

I liked to keep it under 1k € less if possible.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

I live in France, so keep in mind that the tech is pricier and less diverse here

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

I'll mainly be buying on http://www.ldlc.com/ and http://www.materiel.net/ because they offer a cheap building service by technicians and i'm a bit weary to build the pc myself in such a small case.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

I wont budge on Nvidia and Intel sorry, I'm a creature of habits and they served me well in the past.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I already have a Vertex 4 256 SSD and a Windows CD key

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I don't intent to ever OC on such small a rig

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1080p

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

Around august



My current build is that :

I want a pc that will be the most quiet/€ efficient possible while staying in my price range.

I currently have some doubt on :
- Is it interesting to look at the i7 in order to future proof or better to stay on i5?
- I took a high end Motherboard because I want wifi/bluetooth integrated (there is no slot for a wifi card in the sg05) but there is a Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI cheaper on ldlc.com, but it only support 802.11n and not ac ; plus there isn't any review on it online.
- What do you think about the PSU? review say it's reliable but a bit noisy. Is the 450w necessary to futureproof the rig, or should I go with a 350w silent Be quiet ! PSU ?

Thanks in advance

ps: Sorry if the syntax/grammar isn't perfect, I'm not completely fluent in English yet

 

[mfenn]

Your grammar is very good. I only spotted two errors and one awkward sentence. That's better than most native speakers!

As for the build, it looks good in general. A couple of nits:

- RAM: The RAM you've picked out is 1.65V, whereas you want 1.5V or lower for new Intel platforms. This Kingston HyperX blu fits the bill.
- Mobo: That mobo is too expensive since you won't be overclocking. The GA-H87N-WIFI is about 55 euro cheaper and meets your requirements.

To your specific questions:

1. The only way to future-proof is to save money to spend on future parts. The i5 will handle your most demanding task (gaming) 98% as well as an i7 would.
2. See above. Gigabyte makes solid boards, no reason to worry
3. 350W is cutting it too close with a GTX 760, the system will draw somewhere between 300-330W while gaming.

 

[Tyalis]

Ok, so i5 it is.

Thanks for the quick reply

About the PSU do you know of any alternative 450w+ PSU that would be quieter ? Reviews of the silverstone are mixed online.

And how long would you say I could last with this PC without having to change something ? And if I do what would need changing first ?

 

[lehtv]

Silverstone has a Gold rated version of the same unit that should be quieter. But it's pricey. ST45G-F

Your PC should last 1.5-2 years until an upgrade is needed. At that point, get a new graphics card in the same price range as GTX 760 currently, this will allow you to keep up with game requirements. In another 1.5-2 years, do another graphics card upgrade, but you will need to upgrade CPU, motherboard and RAM as well to avoid bottlenecking the graphics card. The rest of the system should still be fine.

Mainly it will be Movie/TV watching, light to heavy gaming (5-6h a week on 1080p ~35 FPS) and web surfing

I'm wondering why you want to be limited to 35fps. GTX 760 will do near-constant 60fps in almost any game at slightly lowered settings. This is much better than 35fps at maximum settings because the difference in image quality is much less striking, and much less important, than the fluidity of gameplay. Perhaps you have a different view, but then again, most people put too much value on graphics image quality, and too little on gameplay.

 

[Tyalis]

Ok, so if I understand correctly : beside a 2 year GC refresh, I can count on this rig to last me 5 years before having to do a major refresh ?

Do you think the ST45G-F is worth it? is it noticeably quieter ? Is the fact that it is modular worth the extra?

And finally, beside the switch to Kingston blu, is there anything else I should change ? I read a lot of topics debating the merits of the Noctua NHL 12, is it a better option than the Big shiruken 2 rev B ?

ps: I prefer to stay on the ASRock, it has 802.11ac dual band 5/2.4 (My ISP is suppose to switch to ac next year, so I've got good chance of getting a compatible router) , whereas the gigabyte only has 802.11n single band 2.4

Thanks a lot for the quick answers, that really appreciated ! You guys are awesome

 

[lehtv]

Well, according to my last post, a CPU+GPU+Mobo+RAM refresh would be needed in 3-4 years from now, assuming you want to stay relatively up to date with game requirements. 5 years with only one GPU upgrade is a bit unlikely unless playing on low settings. It'd be like playing recent games with a 3 year old 5850 - it chugs along in demanding games on low settings.

I have no personal experience with the ST45G-F. All I know is that higher efficiency units tend to be quieter due to producing less waste heat. I have used the ST45S-F and I didn't find it loud but not completely silent either.

The SG05 is not difficult to build even without a modular unit, but it does get a bit cramped once all is in place. If you like to build as clean as possible, the modularity is worth a bit extra.

The Big Shuriken probably won't fit very well into that case, and can block memory slots on ITX boards. Get the regular Shuriken with a 100mm fan.

 

[TheStu]

Ok, so if I understand correctly : beside a 2 year GC refresh, I can count on this rig to last me 5 years before having to do a major refresh ?

Do you think the ST45G-F is worth it? is it noticeably quieter ? Is the fact that it is modular worth the extra?

And finally, beside the switch to Kingston blu, is there anything else I should change ? I read a lot of topics debating the merits of the Noctua NHL 12, is it a better option than the Big shiruken 2 rev B ?

ps: I prefer to stay on the ASRock, it has 802.11ac dual band 5/2.4 (My ISP is suppose to switch to ac next year, so I've got good chance of getting a compatible router) , whereas the gigabyte only has 802.11n single band 2.4

Thanks a lot for the quick answers, that really appreciated ! You guys are awesome

You can replace the wireless card on the mobo, it takes but a minute. So get the cheaper mobo now that is otherwise equal to the ASRock, and then get a mini-PCIe 802.11ac card down the road. Intel has one coming out any time now that will sell for about $30 in the states.

 

[Termie]

Ok, so i5 it is.

Thanks for the quick reply

About the PSU do you know of any alternative 450w+ PSU that would be quieter ? Reviews of the silverstone are mixed online.

And how long would you say I could last with this PC without having to change something ? And if I do what would need changing first ?

Your build is great overall, and the tips above are spot on, especially catching that nasty Kingston RAM that tricks so many builders.

In response to your question on the PSU noise - this is one of the serious issues with building a truly small Mini-ITX build. It's going to be very hard to find a smaller-than-ATX power supply that doesn't make a bit more noise than you might like. Buying the Gold-rated version may help somewhat, because the fan won't have to spin as quickly due to potentially lower heat output. But the fan quality will likely be the same. Part of the reason it will be louder is that it is a smaller fan and the space for moving air is smaller as well.

You could always go with a much bigger Mini-ITX case, like the Prodigy or the Cooler Master Elite 120, which will fit full-size power supplies, but then you lose some of the appeal of Mini-ITX. The choice is ultimately up to you, but you probably won't find the perfect solution.

 

[Torn Mind]

The Cooler Master Elite 120 does not have the best thermals and the aftermarket cooler solutions you can put in there are rather limited.

 

[lehtv]

I was under the impression that Elite 120 can fit taller coolers than SG05?

 

[frozentundra123456]

I don't really have any more suggestions on the build, seems good with the changes others have suggested.

As to future proofing, that is a tough call. An i7 would offer only slight benefits in current games, but might offer more benefits in future games as multi-threading becomes more prevelant. No one really knows for sure though, or how much the benefit will be. Unfortunately, Intel charges a pretty high price for the i7 compared to the i5, so depending on your budget, it may not be worth it.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I don't really have any more suggestions on the build, seems good with the changes others have suggested.

As to future proofing, that is a tough call. An i7 would offer only slight benefits in current games, but might offer more benefits in future games as multi-threading becomes more prevelant. No one really knows for sure though, or how much the benefit will be. Unfortunately, Intel charges a pretty high price for the i7 compared to the i5, so depending on your budget, it may not be worth it.

Could always substitute i7 for an Xeon right? (No haswell xeons unfortunately)

 

[mfenn]

Could always substitute i7 for an Xeon right? (No haswell xeons unfortunately)

You could, not that I'd recommend either in this instance. And there are Haswell Xeons, they are the E3-12xx V3 parts.

 

[mfenn]

You can replace the wireless card on the mobo, it takes but a minute. So get the cheaper mobo now that is otherwise equal to the ASRock, and then get a mini-PCIe 802.11ac card down the road. Intel has one coming out any time now that will sell for about $30 in the states.

:thumbsup: Agree. The wifi card is a standard mini-PCIe card like you'd find in any laptop. Wait until you know that you'll get an 802.11ac router before upgrading.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

You could, not that I'd recommend either in this instance. And there are Haswell Xeons, they are the E3-12xx V3 parts.

What I meant by no haswell is that they haven't been released yet (I think)

 

[Torn Mind]

What I meant by no haswell is that they haven't been released yet (I think)

At least one is in stock at Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116906

 

[lehtv]

What I meant by no haswell is that they haven't been released yet (I think)

They have been released
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...rder=BESTMATCH

 

[laputan machine]

I have that case, and the psu is indeed a bit audible. I too use this as a htpc\gaming pc, and I sit about 4 meters away from it. It's not loud enough for me to call it bothersome at that distance. I have a 660ti and it's what I hear when I game. I'd recommend a blower style cooler as the hot air might build up fast in the small case.

Btw, you can easily overclock in that case, you just need to get a 120mm radiator cooler. I'm running my 3570k at 4.4 ghz in mine. It'll mean you won't be able to fit an optical drive in there of course.

I also found the case itself to look for better than what I expected from the pictures online, hope you do the same